Degree Name
EdD (Doctor of Education)
Program
Educational Leadership
Date of Award
12-2025
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
William Flora
Committee Members
Donald Good, Pamela Scott
Abstract
This qualitative, interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) research study explores instructional coaches’ perceptions of the impact of Cognitive Coaching℠ on teacher instruction, efficacy, and professional learning implementation. Findings across the four research questions reveal a cohesive perception among instructional coaches that Cognitive Coaching℠ functions as a catalyst for teacher growth, agency, and efficacy.
Coaches described their roles primarily as facilitators who guide rather than direct, emphasizing trust-building, reflection, and empowerment as essential. The findings highlight that Cognitive Coaching℠ strengthens teacher self-efficacy, which aligns with the six core principles of andragogy, with coaches observing increases in confidence, risk-taking, and professional agency. The instructional coaches interviewed perceived that coaching strengthened the transfer of learning from the training to classroom practice by providing ongoing support, reflection, and follow-up. However, this process was most effective when coaching was embedded within, and aligned to, other structures within the school/district. Coaches identified trust, teacher-directed conversation, and mediative questioning as critical components of capacity-building coaching. Specific elements of Cognitive CoachingSM, especially pausing, paraphrasing, and posing mediative questions, were cited as powerful tools to foster self-efficacy, mediate thinking, and build self-coaching capacity. However, the participants also noted the importance of differentiating support based on teacher readiness, acknowledging that novice and experienced teachers benefit from different coaching approaches.
Overall, this study reinforces that Cognitive Coaching℠ is a powerful framework for supporting teacher agency, instructional change, and systemic capacity-building; however, its impact is contingent upon the leadership, systems, and structures of the school or district and how coaching is integrated and aligned across initiatives and processes.
Document Type
Dissertation - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Givens-Martin, Katie B., "The Butterfly Effect: Cognitive CoachingSM as a Catalyst for Educator Learning and Lasting Change" (2025). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 4604. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/4604
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.
